All 41 miners who had been trapped in a collapsed mine in India for 17 days have been rescued.
Before the rescued men could exit, it took weeks to dig an escape passage for the workers through the mountain, with the last two meters drilled by hand.
Pushkar Singh Dhami, the chief minister of Uttarakhand state, was seen on video meeting the workers, who appeared to be in good health as they emerged from the tunnel amid happy scenes.
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The men had been stranded since November 12 when a section of the tunnel they were trying to build in northern India's Uttarakhand state came way, blocking their only exit with more than 60 meters of broken rock, concrete, and twisted metal.
Following a series of agonizing setbacks, the first workers were removed. Rescue attempts were interrupted when the heavy machinery used to drill through the debris broke down, leaving crews to partially dig by hand and employ riskier means to transport them to safety.
Engineers had attempted to remove the debris in the exit shaft with heavy machinery but were forced to halt their attempts late Friday after the powerful US-made drill broke down just meters from the trapped men.
The laborers, all migrant workers from India's poorest states, have been receiving food, water, and oxygen via a 53-meter pipe inserted through the debris, and authorities claim they are in good health.
Doctors on the scene have been in touch with the men inside, advising them to stay optimistic and calm. Every day, their families have gathered at the tunnel exit to pray for their safe return.
